Maybelle

For those curious about seeing pictures of our new house, Brandon is supposed to be working on a photo album to put on his blog since it has room to host a lot of photos. However, since it is taking him forever to get around to it (mostly since we have so much yardwork to do) here is a teaser...

This is what we started with!

So, when you visit, you'll know just how far we have come.

June

Wow, so many memorable things have happenned this month. I am going to try and finally post about some of them to update everyone on our *fascinating* life, since I know you are all dying to hear from me!

Here are a few highlights:

• Elisa took her first airplane ride and did quite well, although I vowed never to fly with a baby in my lap again.
• We had a fabulous vacation in Florida with Christina and her family, which consisted mostly of managing four under four and the occasional trip to Walmart. .
• Elisa went swimming for the first time. She also began eating rice cereal and we have moved on to green beans - which she doesn't seem to care for.
• The first day of summer has come and gone without a ray of sunshine. It won't stop raining here!
• Elisa weighs 15.10; double her birthweight.
• Brandon spent a week in Frisco, TX (Dallas) training a new manager and I got to spend a night there as well. We left Elisa with my mom and had great impromptu getaway weekend on Oakley's dime.
• I finished my Christmas shopping - HA, HA!
• We went to a car show with Brandon's parents where they won the coveted 'best in show'
• I got another major sunburn - what can I say, it was raining and I am not used to the exterior elements!
• Oakley announced a merger with the evil Luxotica. We have mixed feelings about this and are looking for our own million dollar idea to sell to the evil Luxotica in twenty years for a billion or so...
• I have lost 10 lbs of babyweight and gained 3 back in Dallas, curses!
• I am sure there is more news of a similar mediocre nature but, let's get on with what you all came to see anyways...

Baby Dougie

Welcome to our family

Douglas Edward Ruhlig Jr!

See mom's post for all the details of the day.

Here are some cute pictures of my new nephew!

Baby Elisa will be going to Florida on Tuesday to visit for a week.
We are excited (well, I am anyway, Elisa is pretty clueless).

Random Facts

OK, Rachel tagged me quite a while ago, and here is my response. I have been reading other responses and find that we are quite an organized bunch, as that seems to be everyone's favorite random fact about themselves. Therefore, I will not include my thoughts on organizing...

1. I love to color my hair. Right now it is fairly natural with one superblonde chunk on each side. However, I have had portions of it it magenta, green, fire engine red, blue and purple at one time or another. My philosophy on hair color is: if it isn't going to be natural, why bother trying to make it look like it is? Have fun with it!
2. I would rather sit at home with a book than do anything else. Sadly, I haven't had time to read in quite a while. My favorite fun author is Elizabeth Peters and if you ever need a recommendation I have a long list of must reads!
3. I love live theater and musical performances. Brandon and I try to go to a few shows a year and I always hit a few with my dad too. In the summer we try to make it to a Gilbert and Sullivan because light opera is my favorite. Best play: The Pirates of Penzance.
4. I hate and absolutely cannot wear any shade of blue shirt with blue jeans. It just doesn't work in my book - there is just no way to make it match!
5. I love museums. Brandon and I always look for one or two whenever we visit a new city. Most recommended museum is the Denver Museum of Natural History.
6. Favorite Movies: Newsies, Sabrina (Harrison Ford), Gladiator
7. I have never kept a houseplant alive for more than 6 months and yet I am now tackling a huge yard with 14 flowerbeds and over 2 dozen trees. Needless to say, some of them have to come out because it is just to much to look at, let alone maintain. Hopefully by the end of the summer there will still be something alive!

That was hard! I thought I was more interesting than that, but I guess not! This is ending with me, because everyone I know has been tagged already! That's what happens when it takes so long to get around to posting I guess.

You're Invited!

I want to invite everyone to consider attending Bible Study Fellowship next fall. Most likely, there is one in your area. Next year we will be studying the gospel of Matthew. It will be my 3rd year with BSF and I have been incredibly blessed by it. (Thanks to Rachel Madden for inviting me!) Very likely, there is one in your area too! They offer seperate mens and womens classes, at seperate times of the day as well as childrens programs. Follow this link to learn more and find a class close to you http://www.biblestudyfellowship.com/.

Next week there will be an introduction class to register for Matthew. Consider this an open invitation! Just find out the date and time and show up next week! There is no childcare for introduction classes. There will be other opportunities in the fall to join, but this is the best way to make sure you can be there for the very first one and get a spot as there are sometimes waiting lists for certain age groups! There is no obligation and perhaps if you go to the introduction class you will have something to pray this summer about adding to your schedule this fall.

Here are the top 5 reasons I enjoy BSF and why you should consider making time in your busy week for this study!

1. It is a serious bible study that focuses on the truth of God's word
2. It encourages daily bible study with practical applications
3. It is a good opportunity to meet and fellowship with other local christian women
4. You will be challenged, encouraged and blessed by the time you dedicate to this study!
5. It is free!

If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer! e-mail me or post a comment